There for the 80th D Day Anniversary. It was wonderful!

We loved every minute of our stay. The cottage was beautiful, and the orchard garden exceptionally tranquil and lovely. The chateau and its surrounding estate was absolutely stunning and our expectations were surpassed in every way. This is a very rare and special place; our hosts were very kind and helpful. There is much to see and do in the area - we will definitely return!

I hesitated before I made this booking. The location was perfect, and everything looked so beautiful in the photos, but there were no reviews, and I usually rely heavily on reviews when I rent on VRBO. I decided to take a chance. When we entered the long drive and saw this stately chateau come into view, I knew I had made the right decision. Our accommodations were in the stable outbuilding, behind the chateau. Very elegant surroundings. As with many converted spaces, room layouts aren't as perfect as we would like. The bed in the alcove was at one end of the very spacious living room; the route from the upstairs bedroom took you through the downstairs bedroom to reach the living room. So there was not complete privacy. There is one full bathroom (shower) off the kitchen, and another half bath to serve the two bedrooms. Whatever accommodations we needed to make to the physical layout were well worth it for the privilege of staying in such splendid surroundings. There is WIFI (or "weefee" as the French call it) available next to the chateau, so you need to walk outside to use that. This is a very rural area, and restaurants are not plentiful. We found it best to eat a main meal during the day while we were touring, and enjoy a light meal at home in the evenings. Several local supermarkets offer a superb variety of prepared foods. If your goal is to explore the Normandy beaches, Mt. St Michel, Bayeux, and the other treasures of the Cotentin Peninsula, you could not be better situated. The owners of Chateau de Pont-Rilly were extremely gracious to us in every respect. We were able to overcome our language barriers. M. Roucheray, the owner, suggested some wonderful areas to explore that were off the beaten path on the Route de Caps, and we enjoyed that tremendously. I highly recommend Chateau de Pont-Rilly, and look forward to a return visit there someday.

The chateau was very impressive as we entered the long driveway and the grounds were extensive, with majestic peacocks as neighbours. The lawns and paths were well maintained and we were free to roam these and the outbuildings. The owner was very welcoming on arrival, and later in the week gave us a guided tour, in French, of some of the authentically decorated rooms inside too. We stayed in the verger, which also maintained the authentic ambience and was very comfortable. The entrance hall had high ceilings, a vast open fireplace and a grand bed- reminiscent of Louis IV himself! We were very lucky with the weather and the family enjoyed the barbecue and playing outdoor games in the garden. It was a very tranquil, relaxing break, matching the listing description. The owner provided us with a bottle of cider and a basket of fruit on arrival. There were essentials to start our self catering holiday in the kitchen too. The property was clean and well maintained. We would recommend this property to others- it suited our adult family well. We enjoyed the coastline walks, views and beaches. A trip to Gosselin's epicerie in St Vaast is always interesting. Likewise, the submarine at the Sea Life city in Cherbourg. We were impressed by the parc animalier at Montaigu la Brisette. We were also lucky to witness a carnival during our visit. As we were self catering, we didn't use any of the restaurants.